MURRAY, Ky. – Missouri State women’s basketball (22-6, 14-3 MVC) suffered a 78-67 setback on the road at Murray State (19-7, 13-4 MVC) on Thursday night.
This one started out as an incredibly close and even game as all seven ties and five of the game’s six lead changes occurred in the first quarter. The largest lead for either team in the first period was four points. With the Lady Bears trailing by three late in the first, Kaemyn Bekemeier scored the final five points of the period, knocking down a triple before beating the buzzer on the final possession, to give MoState a two-point, 19-17, lead after one.
Missouri State extended its lead to four points with the first bucket of the second period, but a short time later Murray State made a big run. The Racers scored 11 straight points to take over the lead and extend it to eight points with under two minutes remaining in the first half. Kyrah Daniels put an end to the Murray State run with a jumper and then Lacy Stokes hit two free throws to pull the Lady Bears back within four at the intermission.
Out of halftime, the two squads swapped baskets before a 12-5 spurt for the Racers extended their lead over the Lady Bears to double figures at 12 points. MoState continued to chip away with Daniels knocking down a couple of treys and Stokes adding a layup to make it a manageable eight-point deficit as the game entered the fourth quarter.
With the Murray State lead at 10 points and 6:05 on the clock, Missouri State once again showed its resiliency and reeled off nine straight points, sparked by a Paige Rocca three-ball, to make it a one-point ballgame with just under four minutes to play.
Unfortunately, that is as close as the Lady Bears would get as Murray State’s Katelyn Young (27 points) scored the Racers’ next nine points to push the lead back out to seven. Two Daniels free throws made it a five-point deficit for Missouri State, but as the Lady Bears were forced to foul down the stretch, Murray State iced the game at the line, finishing the day 23-for-23 at the charity stripe. The 78-67 loss put an end to Missouri State’s six-game win streak.
Stokes led the way for Missouri State with 25 points, marking her fourth consecutive 20-point performance. Daniels followed with 19 points and six rebounds, while Bekemeier was the final Lady Bear in double figures with 10 points and eight boards. Kiley Bess racked up a team-high nine rebounds in the loss.
As a team, the Lady Bears won the battle in the paint as they outscored Murray State, 38-28, but MoState was minus-three on the glass. The Racers made 23 free throws on the night compared to seven for the Lady Bears.
Missouri State closes out its four-game road swing with a trip to Belmont on Saturday, March 1. Tipoff against the Bruins is set for 4:00 p.m. and the game will stream on ESPN+.
